I will still have several work things going, particularly for the new book. I'm done teaching and judging for 2018, though some appraising will continue. Time to start in on the other jobs that need doing around here.
It's clear that this year, presents for Christmas are going to be modest. No large -- and frankly, not that many small -- purchases. I've been lucky to find some real steals already, and am finding more as I clean out the room that I normally hide presents in. (Apparently I hid them too well, because I'm finding stuff that was planned for the kids years ago.) In spite of that, I've decided not to apply for any holiday season jobs. The extra income would be nice, but both the Brick and I need the rest to continue improving.
One more week's left in October -- but I'll post this report now, since I have the time to do it.
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FRUGAL HITS
(This includes some late September items)
*I flew to the working gig in Michigan this month, so had to be careful what I packed. Mostly, it was items for the gigs, but I tucked in a Delft blue and white bowl, plus a few goodies for The Mama. (Thank you, Southwest, and your two-free-bags plan!) Left books and videos behind that will be Christmas presents for the family in Michigan. I can send them later via media rate.
Headed home, I was able to fit in a bag of homemade doughnuts plus a package of windmill cookies for the Brick; several dollar store items for the book signing table; plus two large bags of apples and a small pumpkin. Suitcase #1: 50 pounds. Suitcase #2: 43 pounds. (Darn! Could have stuffed in more...)
*Sold the Outback -- able not only to pay some looming bills, but plump up the emergency fund again. Thank you, God...and Daughter #1, who wore out some shoe leather, showing the car for us.
*Paid the loan back that we took out from The Mama -- plus interest. Wonderful.
*Made meals a number of times at home...even though it would have been easy to go out, instead.
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| Soup is always good |
*A free meal or two, courtesy of The Mama. Also, free lunch on a Worship Team outing.
The Mama also let me borrow her van for traveling, which was very nice of her. (I did fill her tank once -- which was all she would allow me to do.)
*Five antique books for $7 from the thrift shop in Sparta, MI, including a history of the 1893 Columbian Exposition, which will be great for research -- plus a red reversible fall jacket for $7. I like '7 math' equations like this. (That thrift shop also had a wonderful leather chair, plus some vintage blue and white plates I had to reluctantly walk away from. Sigh...)
Another Michigan thrift shop produced a suede winter coat with hood and 'fur' trim. Warm and stylin' -- and half-priced at $10.
*Half-price day at one of the local thrift shops, which meant a couple of Christmas presents, plus two new sweaters, a pair of classy black shoes (99 cents!) and a tan corduroy jean jacket. Oh yes, a small unused crockpot, as well ($2.50). The Brick has been wanting to try slow cooking in smaller quantities.
*Went through our closets for fall/winter clothes to wear...rather than going to the store or thrift shop for reinforcements. I generally bought only what I actually needed.
*Vitamins ran out -- but I found more on clearance. Funny -- that's how I got the last bottle!
*About 13 or 14 videos ($2 each) from the library used bookroom...some were relisted on Amazon, others will be Christmas presents. The rest will go into our collection.
*Some goodies from Amazon for Christmas stockings. We have the money now, and these were real steals. I also sent The Mama a box of Walker's shortbread fingers, her favorite. (She loved it.)
*Watched several movies and tv series via Amazon Prime, including the current season of Man in the High Castle. Finished it barely in time to cancel before our month-long free preview ended.
We used Prime for ordering, as well, but noticed something unsettling. Although a few items were a bit less, at least one (the fog machine) was considerably more expensive if I ordered it via Prime, rather than my normal procedure! It doesn't make sense to have to pay for this privilege, then get dinged on products, as well.
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| I really need to read the novel, too. (Wikipedia) |
*Sold a book on Amazon -- plus a number of Ghosts & Legends of Colorado's Front Range books, via Facebook and this blog. Hooray! Thank you to everyone who's purchased a book -- I hope you're enjoying it.
*Got our electric bill down $20 last month, compared to the bill a year ago. Others are more vigilant, but I felt proud we got it down this much, at least.
*Had two 'fahncy dinnahs' to and from my trip to visit friend Tammy's quilt shop in Angola: chicken nuggets from Burger King and Wendy's! The King's were cheaper (10 for a buck), but I think I like Wendy's version better.
*Free pkg of lunchmeat, thanks to Safeway. Other meat bargains, thanks to Daily Deals in Grand Rapids, MI: ham for 50 cents, chipotle chicken breast for 99 cents, 4-oz pkgs of cooked real bacon bits for a buck. If you live close to this chain, you surely need to visit -- I find incredible buys every time I stop there. (It was also the perfect opportunity to stock The Mama's freezer with a few ready-to-eat meals and treats.)
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| I still miss our chickens...but it was nice, not having to take care of them |
*Got several Christmas presents from Safeway's clearance bin at 50% off...only to find, when they rang up, that the store was offering another 50% off that week! (I can't say yet what these were -- both Daughters will read my blog on occasion.)
*Fancypants Canadian cookies for half price. (The Dare brand - this company's chocolate is deep, dark and amazing. I only wish I'd bought more.) Ghiradelli chocolate bars at the same place (Safeway) for half price.
*Cut trees in our backyard down. They were already dead, so it tidied up the yard, as well. Their wood and branches (tied in bundles) will keep us warm via the woodstove this winter.
*Decorations for the table at book signings were all purchased from Dollar General, including 'sticky eyes,' skull shot glasses, a skeleton table cover, and 'candy corn' lights. Plus the best buy of all: a fog machine! ($11 - Amazon)
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| Plus Costco's added touch: a Christmas village, stacked behind the table. |
*We weren't getting a group policy discount for insurance -- the Brick caught this one. We'll get a credit for several months to come. (Plus, we no longer have to insure the Outback.)
*The Brick never did go hunting. He didn't feel well -- lingering effects from his surgeries earlier this year, we're guessing. Our friends went, and not only got skunked, but slogged around in the mud all week.
It's nice to save on the gas and supply costs...but I still wish the Brick could have gone.
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| Quite different than back-East hunting conditions. (This photo is from a 2016 hunting trip.) |
*Requested several books and videos (for research and pleasure) from the library...rather than purchasing them myself. This is a great way to get quality materials stocked, so others can enjoy them, as well.
*Fabric purchases - half-price. (Other fabrics were given gratis. Thank you, Tammy.)
*More Christmas presents... including two videos for $2 each and some playful stocking stuffers for 35 cents each. Hey, I've got the money -- they were great prices -- and I don't have to search much during December.
*Twenty dollars worth of giftcards...free, thanks to Swagbucks. (You can take advantage of this, too. Click here for more info.)
*Found a great new place for breakfast -- Steak n' Shake! I had no idea this 'lunch and supper' place had good breakfast food at such amazing prices.
*Finished our taxes. (The April deadline came right while I was in the middle of the Aussies tour; we just couldn't do it.) Got a refund!
*Phone costs were ramped down $30/month...because we called to complain about reception problems. (Turns out the whole neighborhood was having the same struggle that week.)
*Gave a few piano lessons. Appraisals ditto. (Pretty quiet in this area right now -- but that's totally normal for autumn. I was out of town a lot, anyways.)
*Kept the furnace turned off much of the month. It helped that we didn't have a frost -- or snow -- until mid-month, while I was gone. I've rarely seen people still harvesting tomatoes this late in the fall.
*Free tomatoes and peppers from friends. The Michigan apples were also free, picked from friends' orchard. (The last of the peaches and strawberries in the fridge will pad out one final smoothie.)
FRUGAL MISSES
*Paid for a hotel in Chicago for two nights -- including (and I still don't get this) $10/day for parking! We were at a cousin's wedding, and it was just too much for The Mama to make the 3+ hour trip from Sparta. (It was tough for me, too.) On the plus side, it was comfortable, with a free breakfast. And I got a reasonable price on it, thanks to Swagbucks and Hotels.com.
On the negative side, because I misread the schedule, we missed out on breakfast checkout morning. (But that's how we discovered Steak n' Shake's breakfast menu -- so I guess I can't complain too much.)
*Two sub sandwiches, purchased around wedding time -- and wasted. (Frankly, I thought they were taken by somebody else.) Found them after they'd been sitting out for a week, and tried an exploratory bite. It wasn't a smart idea.
*Went out to eat more than I'd planned in Michigan...but it was partly for The Mama, and partly for a cousin who looks after her frequently. I'll feed those ladies anyday. (I was also careful what I ordered.)
*The server crashed. Not having access to my 'permanent' file of appraisals is a little frightening. It took the Brick several days to figure out the problems, order new equipment, and Fix Things in General. Whew -- but it wasn't cheap.
For more reports, you can start with last month's -- click here for more. Or read the October 2017 report,. It's interesting, to see the weather -- and our lives -- changing, month by month. I'm guessing they're changing for you, too.
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| The Brick and his girlies - Hunting 2014 |
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